Plugs and closure systems generally used for resealing a caulking tube nozzle are known in the art and are useful for manually resealing a caulking tube cartridge after the tip of its plastic nozzle has been cut off and caulking material has been poured out therefrom.
In some instances, plugs and closure systems of the prior art are generally represented by a substantially pointed member provided with a handle-like portion, or a substantially conically shaped cap member, or equivalent, that are inserted in, slipped on, or otherwise attached to the distal end of an open nozzle.
Typical examples of plugs and closure systems of the prior art are U.S. Pat. Nos. US20050230439A1 to McKee (2005), U.S. Pat. No. 4,824,026, to Boutwell (2004), U.S. Pat. No. 6,481,597, to Cermak (2002), U.S. Pat. No. 6,398,085, to Foster (2002), U.S. Pat. No. 4,284,213, to Lee (1981), U.S. Pat. No. 4,213,546, to Massey (1980), and U.S. Pat. No. 4,146,152, to Foster (1979).
Some of these plugs and systems are designed to only engage the tip of the caulking tube nozzle. Unfortunately, they cannot be used when a relatively large portion of the tip has been cut off by the user in order to obtain a wide aperture for applying a wide strip of caulking material.
Furthermore, the tapered configuration of the inner cavity of these caps generally allows the caulking material to harden, at least partially, when the caulking tube is stored over long periods of time in a space where there are at least slight temperature variations. This is generally caused by the alternating expansions and contractions of the plastic materials of different density from which are manufactured the cap and the nozzle, combined with the tapered configuration of the latters. The result is a cap that lets air get progressively in contact with the caulking material within the tube, or even a cap that becomes loose over time.
Furthermore, the tapered cavity of prior art caps is generally configured to conform to the outer surface of a nozzle having a specific tapering angle and general surface configuration. This limitation leaves little or no margin for adequately resealing the nozzle of caulking tubes made from different manufacturers.
Another common problem with caps of the prior art is that, once the cap is secured to, and seal the open tip of a nozzle, it is relatively hard to clean properly the exceeding caulking material near and around the annular joint between the cap and the nozzle. This exceeding caulking material generally hardens and accumulates thereabout after just one or two resealing of the tube, which may impair the sealing qualities of the cap, additionally to the fact that the accumulation gets easily cumbersome and annoying when manipulating the cap.
There also exist closures of the plug type, such as U.S. Pat. No. 6,481,597, which are partially inserted into the end of the nozzle. Plugs may come off relatively easily from the nozzle if the caulking tube is accidentally dropped or mishandled, or if there's still expansion of the caulking material within the tube. The use of such plugs of the prior art also often results in the accumulation of exceeding material that is relatively hard to clean properly near and around the annular joint between the plug and the nozzle.
In some instance, plugs and closure systems of the prior art may be represented by an assembly comprising multiple custom components that require multiple-step processes to manufacture and assemble and, thus, are relatively more complex and expensive to manufacture.
Against this background, there exists a need for an improved closure system and associated method for resealing a caulking tube nozzle that overcomes at least one of the aforementioned drawbacks.